| Hi Jim,
Welcome to PET_BIRDS. I hope you will be able to get the information
you need from the noters here. Regarding visiting breeders (one of
your inquiries): If you go to a breeder's establishment, you may only
get to see the bird you are possibly interested in buying, or a small
sample of what the breeder has available. This won't always happen,
but if it does, keep in mind that the breeder is not being rude, just
careful about the health and welfare of his or her birds. There is
a real danger of transferring diseases from one aviary to another,
and visitors who either own birds themselves or who have been visiting
pet stores and handling birds that same day or visiting other breeders
might unknowningly carry in the transferring agent on their hands or
clothes (especially if they handled birds), and on their shoes. I have
had one breeder spray the bottoms and sides of my shoes with a clorox
solution before letting me in, and one who required plastic bags as
covers for shoes!! Others will require that you wash your hands and
forearms with hot soap and water before handling their birds,
especially young hand-feds.
The diseases that most folks are concerned about are Pacheco's
(supposedly conures can be carriers, but the disease affects apparently
almost all large and small hookbills and is fast and fatal, from what
I have read so far), avian pox (often afflicts blue-fronted Amazons,
who can be carriers, but can be transmitted to other hookbills),
psittacosis (a danger to all hookbills - and humans - called 'parrot
fever' when it hits us), and a bunch of others with hard to spell names
;') So you can see that any precautions a breeder takes is not really
so strange when you consider the possible consequences of
contamination.
Bird Talk magazine and American Cage Bird Magazine carry listings of
pet stores, aviaries, and breeders. ACBM lists breeders by type of
bird; BT lists by state. BT is available at many pet stores,
especially those that carry birds. ACBM is a little harder to find
(Fins 'n' Feathers in Chelmsford has it, and so does Safari Square in
Orleans on the Cape..undoubtedly there are other places that carry it).
Local bird clubs usually know who is breeding what type of bird in
their area, and often these breeders are members of the clubs, so you
can meet them there if you visit a bird club meeting at some point.
Given your node address, I'll guess you are in New England. There are
lots of very active clubs around here. If you are interested in
getting in touch with a club here, there are listings of many of them
in the magazines I mentioned above, in a special section of the
publication for such information. Bird shows are a possibility, and
now is the season for them, but usually the breeders are so busy with
showing the birds and getting them in and out of the showroom that they
may not be too willing to talk at the show, but at least you can give
them your name and phone number and tell them what your are looking
for.
If you in Southern New Hampshire or Massachusetts, check out the Want
ADvertiser weekly publication that has a fairly big section of birds
for sale. It is sold at most supermarkets and places that carry
magazines. There are variations of this publication that cover a more
restricted geographical area that are usually sitting next to the
Want ADvertiser on the newstand. You can get a good idea of current
going prices for birds and accessories. Both private parties and
breeders post ads there. Buyer beware, though.
Saw a mynah bird for sale in the Want ADvertiser recently, by the way.
Good luck in your search. Getting a bird directly from the breeder has
a **lot** to recommend it, even if it takes a little work to find them.
Linda
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